THE CHINESE WATER GARDEN - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 176

inches deep while still allowing the growing tips to stand about ¼ inch above the sur-
face soil in the container.
Growing needs. Once planted, don't place in cold water or a situation where the water
will get very cold. Once the plants are established, they will tolerate colder water, but
they shouldn't start their growth under stress. Fertilize monthly during its growing sea-
son (approximately April to September).
How to Harvest
The lotus has a long harvest season. It bears buds, flowers, and seedpods all at the same
time, and all of these are edible, allowing it to be put to many uses simultaneously.
Gather whatever part you want, as soon as it's ready.
For roots. Harvest the roots at the end of their growing season (usually September).
Unless you have several plants, take just the last segment and store the rest of the root
for planting next spring. If you've let your root grow to its full 4 feet, you can take sev-
eral segments, either to plant or to eat. If you break them apart before storing, you'll find
shoots growing from each segment by the time you come to plant them in the spring
(assuming they've been stored properly).
Winter Storage
In many parts of the United States, you can overwinter lotus right in the water garden.
Lotus are not as delicate as they look; they're hardy in many areas if they remain below
the ice line. In a pond that freezes over but doesn't freeze solid, lower lotus containers
to the bottom of the pond.
In Zones 5 or colder, move containers to a spot where they won't freeze solid or lift
the plants to store over the winter. This is a very simple procedure. The lotus will go
dormant as cold weather approaches. Remove the rhizome from its container and bury
it in a container of damp sand (a bucket or a carton lined with plastic). Keep this con-
tainer where it won't freeze but will stay cool enough to remain dormant and prevent
it from starting to grow again; it needs its rest. Check every so often to be sure the soil
has not dried out.
Varieties
Lotus is available from water-garden suppliers. Specify that you want the edible
Chinese lotus. So far as I've been able to discover, all three of the lotus species de-
scribed in this section are edible. Even our native American lotus ( Nelumbo lutea ) is
edible; it was known and used by the Native Americans. Several varieties of Chinese
lotus are available with flowers in shades of pink, yellow, and white.